The present invention relates generally to television closed caption and other extended data service (XDS) systems, and more particularly to a system and method for enhancing the use of XDS data by television viewers.
Generally, television systems now provide, along with conventional broadcast information, an extended data service (XDS) system. The standard that has been adopted, EIA-608, also referred to as the closed caption standard, is directed to providing various types of information to television viewers. Although the current XDS system is capable of providing closed caption information as well as four additional fields of text or other data, only the closed captioning field has been widely used, typically to provide dialogue text across a television screen to assist hearing-impaired viewers.
Closed caption television sets include a tuner for receiving a television signal from a source of information, such as from over-the-air transmission, cable or other recorded source, and produces a video signal, for example, corresponding to a selected channel. The video signal is delivered to a television screen which displays a video image corresponding to the video signal. An XDS signal is generally carried along with the video signal in the television signal in a field that is not normally included in the video image displayed on the television screen.
A data slicer strips or duplicates the XDS signal from the video signal, and delivers it to a microcomputer. The microcomputer includes a user interface which allows the user to turn closed captioning on and off, and to select either closed caption mode or text mode. A closed caption video generator then receives the XDS signal and converts the text information in the XDS signal for display on the television screen.
A significant drawback of conventional closed caption televisions is that the text displayed from the XDS signal obscures a portion of or all of the video image on the television screen. For example, in closed caption mode, the closed caption information in the XDS signal is generally displayed across a bottom portion of the television screen, blocking the underlying video image provided from the video signal. In addition, because of the variety of television sizes available, the closed caption text may not fit well on an individual television screen, i.e. the text may extend into the edges of the television screen, and/or the text may have imperfect persistence.
In text mode, one of the four text fields included in the XDS signal may be displayed, each field possibly including additional information, such as, news or weather reports. When a text field is displayed, however, it replaces the entire video image on the television screen, preventing the viewer from seeing any video image when text mode is selected. In addition, each text field may only be viewed individually, requiring the viewer to toggle between each field if he/she wishes to read all of the text information included in the XDS signal.
Therefore, there is a need for a system which allows a television viewer to more effectively use the information that may be available from an XDS system included in a television broadcast signal.
The present invention is directed to a television system and method for facilitating use of text or other information that may be included in an extended data service (XDS) system. In a first preferred embodiment, the system includes a tuner adapted to receive a television signal, the television signal including a video signal and an XDS signal. A video display receives the video signal from the tuner to produce a video image, i.e. a normal television image.
A data slicer is coupled to the tuner adapted to extract, e.g. strip or duplicate, the XDS signal from the television signal. A data port, preferably a dedicated RS-232 connector or other serial port, is coupled to the data slicer for providing an output of the XDS signal to one or more peripheral devices, i.e. that are isolated or remote from the video display.
In a first preferred embodiment, the system includes a text display which is coupled to the data port for displaying text information included in the XDS signal. The text display may be mounted adjacent the television display or may be a remote device.
Alternatively, in a second preferred embodiment, the system includes a computer coupled to the data port for monitoring information in the XDS signal. The computer preferably includes a processor for interpreting URL data in the XDS signal and a connection to an on-line service, whereby the computer may access on-line information in response to the URL data, for example accessing a website on the Internet and the like. The computer may also include a controller for controlling the tuner and/or other components of the system in response to information included in the XDS signal.
The system may also include an XDS or closed caption video generator coupled to the data slicer and adapted to display text information, for example closed caption information, included in the XDS signal on the video display. A control system may be provided for selectively activating the XDS video generator and/or the data port, and for selecting a display mode for the text information, the display mode including a closed caption mode and a text mode.
More particularly, the system of the present invention is directed to a television for selectively displaying XDS data included in a television signal without interfering with the video image presented on the television display. The television includes a first display adapted to receive a video signal to display a video image defined by the video signal. The television also includes a second display remote from the first display and adapted to receive an XDS signal to display a text image defined by the XDS signal. Thus, a television in accordance with the present invention allows a user to view the closed caption or other text information in the XDS signal on the text display without interfering with the video image on the television display.
In accordance with the present invention, a method of selectively using XDS data included in a television signal may be followed, wherein a television signal including a video signal and an XDS signal is received by a tuner. A video image corresponding to the video signal is displayed on a video display coupled to the tuner. The XDS signal is extracted from the television signal, and the XDS signal is sent out a data port to a peripheral device remote from the video display.
Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a system and method that allow a television viewer to more effectively use the closed caption and other information included in an XDS signal provided in television broadcast signals.
It is also an object to provide a television system that allows a television viewer to access closed caption, text and/or other information included in an XDS signal of a television broadcast signal, without interfering with use of the television display.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.